The use of collage is a centuries-old technique. Originally a work of visual art expressed in paper, collage is generally a juxtaposition of different component images, forms, or artwork to create an overall new whole. Some sources suggest that the introduction of paper-based collage dates as far back as the invention of paper itself. It is likely that most children and adults have at some point in their lives at least experimented with making their own collages.
At the same time, photography has grown to become one of the world's most currently popular pastimes. The ability to travel the world and instantly capture and preserve events as they occur has enthralled both professional and amateur photographers alike. Many homes have several personal cameras, which are used to record hundreds of photographs, capturing memories of those important, and sometimes less important, moments of everyday life. With the ability to digitally edit and enhance pictures, photography has become a common art medium in its own right.
The combination of collage and photography is a natural extension of these two art forms. A photographic collage can take the form of a photomontage, in which a number of images are overlaid upon one another in an artistic fashion; or it can take the form of a picture wall, in which individual pictures are grouped side-by-side in a pleasing pattern. A benefit to the picture wall approach is that each picture can be enjoyed either by itself, or within the context of all the other pictures. Generations of families have made such photo walls by simply hanging a group of photographs on a wall. Over time, with each new member of the family, or each new important milestone, that group may have grown, and the photographs within may have changed. Collectively, the photo wall is an expression of ones personal and family interests at any particular moment in time, coupled with a flavor of their artistic expression.
Some photographic collages are uniform in appearance, such as a nicely ordered arrangement of pictures on a wall. Other collages may be deliberately random, non-uniform, or jumbled in their arrangement of pictures. Regardless of the user's individual tastes, it is likely that they will want to change one or more of the pictures over the years, or even on a daily basis just to suit their mood. With most collages this is a time-consuming task. Pictures must be removed, remeasured and reinstalled. Often, new nail holes must be created to hang new pictures. Typically, a new picture will not perfectly match the position or spacing with each of the other pictures. Pictures of different sizes are almost impossible to integrate into an existing collage. The end result is often unsatisfactory, and somewhat unprofessional in appearance. Given these obstacles, once installed the typical collage is somewhat permanent, and users are unlikely to want to reconfigure it again.
Some systems attempt to allow for easier installation and reuse of collage members. For example, some systems provide for a template that can be attached to the wall and be used as a guide in installing pictures. However, these template designs are not easily modified to accept a non-standard picture. Template-based designs are also restricted in the types and arrangements of pictures that can be mixed-and-matched over the course of many years.